About Susan Hennessy Zorn
The idea of using elements from the earth, specifically enhanced dirt and transforming it with water and fire amazes me each time produce a piece.
Because I primarily use a kick wheel, I am using my whole body to create.
I work with high fire stoneware clay, stoneware possesses strength and grit, after firing it becomes like stone living up to its name.
My mother bought me a pottery wheel from the JCPenney catalog in grade school and I still have the very first piece of fired pottery I made in third grade.
I experiment with texture and color starting with the functional form and pay close attention to the feel of my my pieces in my hands.
Biography
I am potter who lives in rural West Virginia. My personal style pays homage to the folk art and history of Appalachian pottery through functional pieces. I blend my own style, influenced by contemporary functional potters like David Leach and the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the twentieth century with the forms prevalent in my home region beginning in the early nineteenth century. I developed my artistic style later in life, although I learned my craft at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh while in my thirties, I didn’t begin showing work until recently in my late fifties. I demonstrates and show my work at Fort New Salem, a representative fort where I create work with a kick wheel, I also teach kick wheel pottery through summer classes at Fort New Salem.I hold an Associate Degree in Visual Communications(Art Institute of Pittsburgh), a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in History (Liberty University). I am member of the Fort New Salem Foundation Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors of Mountaineer Creative Arts Council.
